Name: THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY? (1969) in 16mm
Start: 2026-02-19T19:00:00-06:00
End: 2026-02-19T21:30:00-06:00
Location: Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University

$THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON\u2019T THEY? (1969) in 16mm$

Real-life 1930s dance marathons set the stage for a brutal allegory of American exploitation in Sydney Pollack's underseen classic--on 16mm.
About this Event

THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY? (1969, Sydney Pollack, 16mm)

As bleak and disillusioned a film as Hollywood could muster in the late 1960s, THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY? mobilizes the real-life tradition of Depression-era dance marathons to produce a gut-wrenching critique of American capitalism’s desire for competition and spectacle. Jane Fonda plays an unemployed background actress Gloria Beatty, who enters a dance-until-you-drop competition in hopes of winning the life-changing amount of $1,500 (in the 1930s). Ushered by their tragi-comic emcee (Gig Young), a ragtag group of contestants, including a retired sailor, a pregnant young woman, and an aspiring movie star, are pushed past the limits of mind and body in this cruel sport for entertainment. Despite being widely acclaimed and nominated for 9 Academy Awards at its release, THEY SHOOT HORSES has been nearly unwatchable for decades due to a bankrupt distributor, followed by limited home viewing options. For those lucky enough to experience it, director Sidney Pollack’s intoxicating allegory of exploitation continues to resonate for moviegoers today.

A special low-fade positive filmstock 16mm print presented courtesy of Visual Studies Workshop.